Tragedy at Ocean Beach

[funmilton]

Hope this not true but believe we had a major accident at Ocean Beach today. I was out and saw a fellow kiter on the beach with paramedics attempting to revive him. They rushed him to hospital after being unsuccessful. Please pray for this local fellow kiter. I have no more information other than a possible red first generation Cross-Bow 9M. Please pray.

[OliverG]

:( I hope this kiter is OK and there is some positive outcome. I hope it's not true... :(

[jla]

According to the lifeguards who found him, the kiteboarder past away. they tried cpr for a long time with no success. We heard his kite was ripped and his lines were tangled around his ankles or legs when they found him on the beach opposite stairwell 16. will post if we get more info. Maybe someone knows who he is. He wore a green wetsuit and kited at ocean beach many times but we do not know his name. He had two buddies with him today at the beach who were visiting from Nevada.

[Greg]

Warm Winds bro- :(
Greg

[adamrod]

Really sad.....

[funmilton]

This is true about lines around legs. Spoke with Federal cop and he did confirm little chance for life. I wanted to keep information to a minimum until officially announced on the news. Out of respect to family and friends. I don't think this is going to turn out good.

[Piotrp]

this is a real tragedy. I was in the water when i heard the ambulance, but I was unaware what was happening.

Another kiter had lines wrapped around his ankle when his kite took off after landing. Thank God for his wetsuit, otherwise the line would've cut him to the bone.

It was a strong and rough day out there today... but I had no idea that it ended so tragically...

[Live4kiting]

We all must remember the power and force that the ocean can deal to us when we are out there. So sad and tragic for this guy, his family, and the entire kiting community.
My Condolences- Janine

[joemount2004]

So i'm not sure if this is related or not, but the lead story on KRON4 tonight was about 2 boaters whose bodies were found close to the Cliff House this afternoon...

[Greg]

This is a very sad situation and I don't want to diverge from the subject. We probably lost a fellow kiter today,I believe mourning his loss is proper-

Please forgive me if you feel my posting the following is inapproapate or premature-



It's pretty easy to get snagged kiting, think of all the stuff we carry out to sea, buckles and hooks and handles and snap shackles on leashes... In reality; We're ALL bound to run into trouble at one time or another.

Being respectful of our fallen friend lets each take the time to TEST our hook knives- What I mean by TEST is: get some kite line and ACTUALLY CUT IT!! Do you think you'd be safe having to cut several lines in less then 30 seconds. The first thing you'll realize is loose line is harder to cut then tight line, and many times hook knife's wont cut a line without sawing away at it... REMEMBER: In a real situation you may be held under water, BLIND, grabbing your knife and cutting while holding your breath (if your lucky enough to have a breath). Someday you may be saving another kiter with your knife- Remember Buddies look out for Buddies, if you see someone down in the surf- pay attention!, see if they make it out ok.. A person in a hold down has less then two minutes-

NOTE: Tests results made several years ago showed many hook knifes totally failing-
The best option found was to replace stock hook knives with S.S. medical scizzors, $20.00. Med scizzors can also cut webbing and wetsuit material..
Attach your knife to your harness with a long string, roll the line neatly and pack it into your knife pouch so it will come out cleanly. Can you grab it with both hands...
Test yourself with your eyes closed at least one a week-